10 Ways Milk Thistle Can Put You On The Road To Health

“Milk Thistle”. This herb has been used for over 2,000 years and is still a popular natural remedy for liver conditions and numerous other health issues.

Milk Thistle is a flowering plant from the daisy family and they are native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. This herb is closely related to the artichoke.

The amazing herb medicinal benefits come from the seeds that are packed inside the flower which is prickly and purplish in color and is actually quite attractive. This herb acquired its name Milk Thistle from two features of the leaves. One is that the leaves are colored with white splashes and the second is that they contain a white milky sap. It is the seeds of the plant that have most of the medicinal properties and the active ingredient in milk thistle is Silymarin a complex antioxidant bioflavinoids.

According to studies, Silymarin has the unique antioxidant complex that has the curative power to stimulate a regeneration of damaged liver cells. Silymarinprotects the outer receptor sites of cells, stops toxins from breaking through fatty cell membranes, invading the inside of the cells, and any toxic substance that does get into the cells is neutralizes.

Health Benefits of Milk Thistle:

1. Detoxification: One reason this herb is so beneficial is because the liver is one of the most critical organs to human health and survival. Did you realize that the liver has more than 300 hundred functions in the body to help detoxify against chemical and environmental pollutants and promotes metabolic function? Milk thistle is so important to rid you body of the constant stress of more than 70,000 chemicals that our bodies are exposed to daily. Milk thistle helps protect the liver by absorption of many toxins and pollutants and prevents them from entering circulation into the bloodstream.

2. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant: Researchers have found that the powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties is concentrated in hepatic tissue very soon after consumption. It stimulates a regeneration of injured and damaged liver cells. It also neutralizes toxic substances that manage to go inside the cells. Silymarin can destroy free radicals that are present in the body. If free radicals are not destroyed, they will interfere with our metabolic reactions and cause them to slow down.

3. Chronic Liver Disease: Used to treat chronic liver disease such as damage from alcohol, liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis (liver inflammation), toxin-induced liver damage including the prevention of severe liver damage from Amanita phalloides (‘death cap’ mushroom poisoning), and gallbladder disorders. This is very effective supplement to stop and even reverse the effects of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which affects as many as 1/3 or the population. Click here to order for liver help!

4. Treat Diabetes: Because Milk Thistle helps to improve liver function and regulate the utilization of insulin which leads to improved control of diabetes. Researchers believe that better liver function results in a better glucose and lipid metabolism. Silymarin has also been used potentially, in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.

5. Stops Damage from Medication and Drugs: Milk thistle can be used in an attempt to protect the liver from the potential damage of medications like acetaminophen, cholesterol-lowering drugs and the seizure medicine, phenytoin and in fact there is over 900 known drugs that induce liver damage. It also helps to reduce the liver damaging effects of chemotherapeutic drugs in the fight against cancer.

6. Helps with Cancer: Silymarin interferes with the growth and prevents spreading of cancer cells in certain types of cancer such a breasts, cervix, and prostrate. Milk thistle has also been used to fight against numerous malignancies in the liver, colon, and skin, with much success.

7. It helps to lower cholesterol: Milk thistle can increase the HDL (good cholesterol) levels in your blood and help lower the LDL. The potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in Milk Thistle help to metabolize build up of cholesterol in the cavities of the arteries and can prevent oxidized LDL (the bad cholesterol) levels, thereby removing them from the arteries of the body which would potentially lead to arteriosclerosis.

10. Good for the Skin: Milk thistle aids in healing acne and eczema and moisturizes the skin giving you a healthy glow, while healing redness and inflammation. It also moistens and soothes mucus membranes.

Increasing research is being undertaken on the physiological effects, therapeutic properties and possible medical uses of milk thistle. Milk thistle appears to be very safe, with tests showing no significant drug interactions and relatively high tolerance levels. Mild stomach upset is the only documented side effect.

Milk thistle is approved in the German Commission E Monographs for inflammatory liver conditions. These monographs, compiled for the licensed medical prescription of botanical in Germany, rank among the world’s most respected and definitive evaluations of the safety and efficacy of various herbs and phytonutrient interventions.

Milk Thistle can be used for preventative medicinal reasons and will help protect your body against environmental pollutants that is part of our toxic world or to help treat any of the above ailments.

Marla Gates is the owner of organic4greenlivings.com. Marla worked for over 10 years in healthcare, which helped her understand the dramatic need for changes in our society and how we view what healthy actually is. Her mission is education and awareness, so that people can make healthier choices and ensure a safe world for all of us to live in. Since she has suffered from Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), for 20 years or more it has given her the first-hand knowledge on what chemicals and pollution can do to your health. She knows how important it is to clean up our environment. So come join her, read her blog and learn how to live healthy and green. She believes that we can clean up our environment, but it will take time. Please join her in “Saving Our Planet Earth” “Go Green” & “Organic” to Live A Healthier Life!

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About The Author

Marla Gates is the owner of organic4greenlivings.com. Marla worked for over 10 years in healthcare, which helped her understand the dramatic need for changes in our society and how we view what healthy actually is. Her mission is education and awareness, so that people can make healthier choices and ensure a safe world for all of us to live in, now and for future generations. Since she has suffered from Environment Illness or Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), for 20 years or more it has given her the first-hand knowledge on what chemicals and pollution can do to your health. She knows how important it is to clean up our environment. So come join her and read her blog. With her research on various topics, she will give the best information possible. She believes that we can clean up our environment, but it will take time. Rome was not built-in a day nor can we make our world safe in one day! Each one of us needs to do our part to make it safe for ourselves, our children, grandchildren and all future generations. We can only do it one day at a time and one step at a time! Please join her in “Saving Our Planet Earth” “Go Green” & “Organic” to Live A Healthier Life!